Basking in the Spotlight, and Paying it Forward

I haven't done one of these in a while.  I haven't earned one of these in a while!  Maybe I'm losing my touch?

I received this award this week from not one but TWO bloggers!  Both writers are absolutely amazing and I felt honored when they chose me.

First was Heather from My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream and Blogger Idol fame.  She is a fantastic writer, and does not let anyone dictate her actions.  She gets a boatload of respect from me because she writes what she wants to write about.  A recent post talked about her religious views.  I can speak first-hand that this topic is extremely controversial, and people often lose followers when your views are different.  She does it anyway.  She will not be swayed.  She is awesome.

Next was Mama Spaghetti from The Spaghetti Westerner.  She chose me as one of her five to write about for her Blogger Idol assignment.  I was the only male of the bunch, so I represented the penis population with pride.  Her humor is amazing, and I love every post she writes (even when they're reeking of mommy-blogger).  She keeps things fresh, keeps things funny, and will keep you smiling.

I have received recognition from good bloggers, and I have received recognition from great bloggers.  This is the latter, and I couldn't be happier.

And now, as the award suggests, I get to pay it forward.  I pick 5 bloggers to mention, tell you why I love them, and then you all go follow and adore them (and they pimp the shit out of me on twitter & their blogs, right???)

My 5 are:

Leeanna at Can We Have A New Witch?  Ours Melted.  Pick any three posts of hers at random and you will instantly be hooked.  She tells it like it is, snarks with the best of them, and is probably dancing around in her skivvies as we speak.  Her hubs is out of town, so she's going wild.

The Simple Dude at Simple Dude in a Complex World.  He writes entertaining material.  He writes books to help bloggers improve their game. (on sale now)  He's so damn awesome, he was picked by blogger as a Blog of Note.  He was my benchmark when I started blogging, and he needs to be on everyone's list of blogs to read.

TFV at The Frisky Virgin.  Why her?  She's a virgin and that's ok.  It goes against the norm of society for someone her age, but who the fuck cares?  She waves her hymen like a proud flag, proclaiming her awesomeness for all to see.  Oh, and she loves sports, which makes her cooler than Chilly Willy.

Jillsmo at Yeah. Good Times.  She's a mom of two, and doesn't let any bit of shit slow her down.  She sees the humor in everything, has become a 'go to' resource on the web for autistic children, and... wait for it... she's a reddit geek.  If you're not laughing within 45 seconds of reading her blog, there's something wrong with you.

Last but not least, we have Zombie at Zombies Everywhere.  He's the ultimate follower.  He comments on every post, was the first to jump into my advertising idea, and IT GETS BETTER!! has a great blog about everything zombie.  Humor, tattoos, survival guides and everything in between.  Variety is the spice of life, and his blog is very spicy, to say the least.

So there you are.  5 to follow if you're not already, plus the 2 that bestowed this award upon me.  All great bloggers, all great writers, all worthy of recognition.